


Joining The Dots

by kernel



Category: The Sentinel
Genre: Gen, Ghosts, Sentinel Thursday Challenge, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-24
Updated: 2012-11-24
Packaged: 2017-11-19 10:43:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/572399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kernel/pseuds/kernel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Written for Sentinel Thursday challenge: Bend in the road.</p>
    </blockquote>





	Joining The Dots

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Sentinel Thursday challenge: Bend in the road.

Title: Joining The Dots  
Author: Kernel  
Category : Gen  
Warnings: none  
Word count: 2,200  
A/N A little something for Halloween :)

“What the hell……!” The brakes squealed as Jim yanked the truck to the side nearly putting it in to a spin.

“Jim, you trying to kill us or something? What are you doing?” yelled Blair.

“What am I doing?” Jim asked indignantly. “Ask that asshole standing in the middle of the road. Where has he gone, anyway? I'm going to book the stupid idiot," said Jim leaping out of the truck and scanning the deserted street.

“I didn’t see anyone, Jim.”

“Where’d he go?” Jim looked around in bewilderment.

“Jim, there was no one on the road,” said Blair insistently.

Jim turned to stare at Blair in disbelief.

“Sure there was. Caucasian male, 5’11, brown hair, early 20’s, just by the bend in the road. You must have been asleep.”

“Well, I’d sure like to be given that it’s 3am and I’ve a class at 9am but I wasn’t. I was looking right at the road and there was no on there.”

“You were half asleep,” muttered Jim, climbing back into the truck and starting the engine.

“Hey, I always pay attention when we get to that bend, man.”

“What’s that supposed to mean,” glared Jim.

“Well, we come this way most days and you tend to take that bend a little fast.”

“Not so fast I couldn’t avoid hitting that guy!”

“Yeah, who wasn’t even there,” muttered Blair. The rest of the journey to the loft passed in silence.

~ *~*~

As Jim walked into the bullpen Simon called him into his office. “Sandburg not with you this morning?”

“No, he’ll be in later, sir. Got something for us?”

“Yes, I need someone to check out a house on Harbour Heights. Place is meant to be deserted and some kids reported strange lights and noises last night.”

“You’re joking, right? You want me to break off the Fernandez case to check out a haunted house?”

“Am I in the habit of joking when I hand out assignments, detective,” snapped Simon slapping a file in front of Jim. “The property happens to be registered to an aunt of Fernandez senior. Unless you have found Billy Fernandez in the last few hours and just neglected to tell me, I consider it worth checking out.”

“Sorry, Simon,” said Jim wearily. “I didn’t get much sleep last night. I’ll head up Cliff Road this morning.”

“Yeah, you’d better go in daylight,” grinned Simon. “Place was featured on “Ghost Hunters” last year.”

“Very funny, sir.”

~*~*~*

“Hi, Jim,” Blair looked up brightly as Jim returned to the bullpen after lunch. Simon said you were up at the old Manderville place this morning. I wish you’d waited for me. I’d love to see that place. You know it was on…..”

“Ghost Hunters, yeah I heard.” replied Jim dryly. ”Well, you’ll get your chance, Chief. There was evidence someone stayed there last night. I’ve just been filling Simon in. He wants us to stake it out tonight.”

“Oh, cool. So, anything to link it to Billy Fernandez? ‘Cause it could just be kids you know, seeing who is brave enough to sleep in the spooky house the night before Halloween. ”

“Could be,” agreed Jim, “but let’s face it we’ve no other leads to go on. Assuming he is hiding out in Cascade he’s got to know his Great Aunt’s place is empty. It’s been deserted for years. So get your stuff. We have the rest of the day off since we’re going to be pulling another late one.”

As Jim drove back to the loft Blair pressed him for details from the morning. “So you didn’t sense anything weird about the house, Jim? No unexpected cold spots, flickering lights, creaking floorboards…?”

“Sorry to disappoint you, Chief,” said Jim smiling, “but it was a perfectly charming old house with a great view of the ocean. I can’t imagine why it’s been empty so long.”

With a quick glance at Blair Jim slowed down as he approached the bend in the road. Suddenly his face froze. “Blair, on the right. It’s that same guy.”

“From last night?” Blair turned to look. “I can see an older Italian guy.”

“No,not him. The young guy standing at the side of the road.”

At Blair’s silence Jim tightened his grip on the steering wheel. “It’s broad daylight, Blair, you must see him.”

“I’m sorry, Jim. There’s an older dark haired man walking along the street and two black teenagers on the corner. I don’t see anyone else.”

“So what are you saying? I’m imagining things?”

“I don’t know. Has there been anything else unusual lately? Is it just your vision? Have you heard anything that isn’t there?”

“No, Sandburg. I am not hearing voices.”

“I didn’t mean that….”

“Look whatever is happening here it’s not just me. I have been along this road four times today and it’s only now when you are in the truck that I’m seeing something that you say isn’t there. So you figure it out, Einstein!”

“I am going to have a nap for a few hours,” said Jim as they reached the loft. We’ll head up to the Manderville house about 8pm. Ok, Chief? You’d better get some sleep, too.”

“Yes, sure Jim. I’m just going to check a few things,” answered Blair distractedly, switching on his laptop and running through what he already knew about hallucinations.

~*~*~*

The rain was falling heavily and the wind was howling as they reached Harbour Heights. They parked under cover of some trees, out of sight of the house and Jim filled Blair in on Fernandez. “We want to establish if he is there, that’s all. Then we call for backup. Fernandez has killed three people including a cop. There’s not a lot of reason for him to give himself up.”

“Yeah, I get it. Stay in the truck and call for backup. I know the drill. Hey, if no-one shows we can take a look around the house, right? ‘Cause I’ve got this bet with Brown that…..”  
Blair fell silent as Jim stiffened and raised his hand.

“What is it?” whispered Blair. “Can you hear something?”

Jim indicated the hill behind the house. “There’s movement up there. He’s likely been camping out during the day and moving into the house after dark. I am going to get out and position myself for a better view. As soon as I make a positive ID you get on the phone.”

Blair nodded his agreement as Jim slipped softly out the truck. After a few minutes he appeared from the back of the building and gave Blair a thumbs up. Blair dialled for backup as Jim headed back to the truck but suddenly he stopped, turned back to stare at an upper window and set off at a run back to the house. Without hesitating Blair followed, catching up with him just before he reached the house.

“What is it, Jim?”

“I heard a scream and I saw a face at that window.”

“Jim are you sure? You said you there was no-one in the house.“

“I know but I saw…”

“Listen, Jim, you need to filter out the rain and the wind and try and locate Fernandez.”

Jim frowned in impatience but paused and concentrated.  
“I’ve got him, Chief. He is in a room at the back of the house on the ground floor.”

“Right, and are you hearing anyone else in the house?”

Jim looked puzzled. “No, but there’s something. I’m not sure. I saw someone at that window. I need to go in. You wait here and stay out of sight.”

Blair cursed and waited anxiously till he saw Jim appear at an upper window just as the sound of sirens broke through the wind and the rain. The officers ran in following Blair’s directions and he held his breath as a shot was fired. A few minutes later Billy Fernandez was being led off to the waiting patrol car and Blair followed Jim back into the house.

“Can you tell me what you saw, Jim?”

Jim sighed. “I wish I knew, Chief. I was sure I heard a scream but with the storm tonight I could have been mistaken, then I saw a face at the window.”

“Can you hear anything now?”

“No, not hear but I feel cold and uneasy liked I’m been watched. I have never bought into this haunted house shit but something is going on here, Sandburg, and it wasn’t like this when I was here alone this morning,” he said accusingly.

“I’ve got a few ideas, Jim. I just need to do a bit more research.”

“Let me guess, you’re going to make this about the senses, right? Well, I’ve got a theory, too,” grumbled Jim, “you just attract weird shit like a magnet.”

*~*~*

It was evening the following day before the two friends caught up back at the loft. Jim had just made dinner when Blair came bursting in waving arm loads of paper.

“Jim, I think I know what is going on here,” he said excitedly.

“Well, how about we eat first,” said Jim, dishing up the pasta and setting it down on the table.

“Thanks, Jim. This is good,” said Blair, attacking the food hungrily.

“Listen, I found this paper: “The Ghost in the Machine” by researchers Tandy and Lawrence which suggested a link between low frequency sound or infrasound and a subjective experience of paranormal phenomenon like ghostly apparitions. Other researchers have linked infrasound with some of the experiences reported in so called haunted houses. Now infra sound is low frequency sound below the normal human limit of 20 Hz. and..”

Jim groaned. “Am I hearing “tests” somewhere in this ?”

“Jim, we need to check this out!” said Blair excitedly. “You could be very sensitive to this infrasound. We haven’t even begun to measure your sensitivity in that range.”

“So you think this explains my experiences up at the house? What about the guy on the road?”

“I’m not sure it explains everything but it got me thinking. Every day the human brain absorbs an enormous amount of sensory information and sorts it into the patterns that form our reality. You are being bombarded with much more sensory data than the average person and your brain is having to work harder to sift through it and filter out the noise. Maybe, sometimes, some of the random data gets through that filter and gets processed into a pattern….”

“Like a figure by the roadside or a face at a window?”

“Exactly, and that would also explain why you are more likely to see these things when I am there. You have probably got into the habit of extending your senses when I am around so there is more data coming in.”

Jim nodded. “I hear what you’re saying, Blair.”

Blair looked at him suspiciously. “So did you see that guy again?”

“What guy would that be,” asked Jim innocently.

Blair rolled his eyes. “Jim…”

Jim stood up and stretched lazily. “Oh, you mean this guy,” he smirked and tossing a PD printout on the table he wandered out on to the balcony.

Blair stared after him then picked up the accident report. He looked sadly at the photo of the 24 year old man killed in a hit and run a year ago.

*~*~*

Jim sat on the balcony and sipped at his beer. Yesterday’s storm had blown over and it was a clear, cloudless night.

“I don’t expect you to have all the answers, Chief,” he said softly as he heard Blair approach.”

“Good, for I sure don’t have any right now,” said Blair as he joined the other man.  
“Orion is bright tonight,” added Blair, looking up at the clear sky. You know cultures all over the world have myths and stories based on the constellations. There are differences in the patterns they see, of course, in how they draw the shapes, but the concept itself is pretty universal. It’s amazing to think of our ancient ancestors sitting around their campfires, seeing the same stars as we are now and making up stories about them.

Jim looked thoughtful. “ Making patterns out of chaos.”

“Yeah, exactly,” nodded Blair, enthusiastically. “Some ancient sentinel looking up at the night sky and…..”

“No,” said Jim firmly, putting down his beer and reaching out to draw Blair closer. “Not a sentinel. I’ve been thinking about your theory, Blair. And yes, it makes a lot of sense. I probably do extend my senses more when you’re around but I don’t think that’s all of it. I think when you are with me the patterns fall into place, the senses make sense, you…you join up the dots, Chief.”

Blair gazed at him speechlessly and his face broke into a blinding smile. “I…,um, really, Jim? I mean that’s great.” Blair grabbed Jim’s empty bottle. “Er, I’ll just fetch another couple of these,” and he turned away blinking furiously.

Jim gazed up at the night sky imagining a world where the stars were just endless dots with no patterns, no stories; a world without Blair. He shuddered.

“You join up the dots for me, Chief,” he murmured.

The End.  


**Author's Note:**

> The paper Blair mentions is real. You can google it.


End file.
